Storm Works Past Pennsylvania to Clinch Title at Cadet Greco Duals

Even at the age-group level, the Minnesota Storm keeps racking up wins, and Pennsylvania showed its younger wrestlers are as game as they come. It all shook out earlier today at the Cadet Greco Duals in Memorial Hall at the York County Fairgrounds in York, Pennsylvania.

The event final got off to a hot start for the Storm. Kicking things off at 195 lbs was Tyler Buesgens, who worked a tight yet aggressive game in effort to pile up the points. It wasn’t a whitewash; Pennsylvania Blue’s Jack Wimmer displayed a good amount of physicality to try and stay in it, though Buesgens would emerge with an 11-5 win. The momentum built gradually from there and it was the upper-weights who laid the foundation. Colton Hellman (220 lbs) and Bryce Benhart (285 lbs) both delivered hard-fought decision victories (5-2 and 9-6, respectively) to hand the baton over to fireballer Paxton Creese (88 lbs). Creese locked horns with talented Chris Kim and couldn’t get on the kind of runs he had been able to the day before. But he maintained his attack, looked for openings, and dug in to come away on top 7-4 thanks to a hip toss late in the bout.

By the time Mitchell Peterson (106 lbs) got his hand raised thanks to a 17-6 tech fall, the Minnesota Storm had piled on seven consecutive wins. However, Pennsylvania was just about to get started. First, JJ Wilson (113 lbs) survived a tight battle with Colby Njos to put PA Blue on the board. After Cael Carlson (120 lbs) took one back for Minnesota, Mike Kistler and wunderkind Beau Bartlett gave Pennsylvania hope again, with Bartlett’s victory coming via tech-fall. Pennsylvania Blue’s last gasp to stay alive was put to rest shortly thereafter. Tyler Eischens drove one nail into the coffin when he escaped 10-8 over gifted Carnell Andrews of Westmont Hilltop High School. And then Cade King sealed up the Storm’s clinching win with a 5-2 decision against Pennsylvania’s Alec Sampson.

Edmond Ruth (152 lbs), Jake Hendricks (160 lbs), Benjamin Root (170 lbs), and Julian Goring (182 lbs) each picked up tech falls to narrow the margin, but it was all for bookkeeping – the Minnesota Storm had won the 2016 Cadet Greco Duals 37-35 to add to the state’s already impressive summer season. Credit goes to Pennsylvania, as well. Those boys enjoyed a terrific two days of wrestling and demonstrated a lot of excitement with their willingness to throw down and expound on that area’s considerable talent pool.

Illinois cruises past Michigan Red 60-17 to lock down third

The grapplers from Illiniois might not have been able to repeat last year’s championship performance but they sure made a statement gunning for third place. Taking on Michigan Red, Illinois revved its engine and did not let up off the gas. Sergio Villalobos (195 lbs) and up-and-coming “throw-master” Jace Punke both felt the need to assert themselves in a big way. Villalobos ran Michigan Red’s Tyler Moore to his back for a fall just over a minute in. Punke, of El Paso, showed off exceptional balance and explosiveness throughout the Cadet Greco Duals, nailing a couple of highlight-reel throws during his time in York. He wanted to end his stay on a high note and did so by trucking through Trent Sexton 11-0. Nick Freeman (132 lbs) provided Michigan with a bright spot as he seized on opportunity after opportunity against Donnell Washington.

But that wound be it for the boys from Michigan Red. Aside from Matthew Ortiz’s tense affair with Brian Case, Illinois ran the table the rest of the way in style, picking up tech falls in five of the remaining six matches.